


The shrunken predicament

by kessilover



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, I REGRET NOTHING, season au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:40:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29718027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kessilover/pseuds/kessilover
Summary: "He made to lift the sleeves upwards when he realized what had happened. Instead of reverting to his old self, he was now somehow young. So young that the clothes he was wearing were hanging loosely on his small frame."After stealing the Formorah from Morgana, Merlin was rendered an infant after drinking the de-aging potion. Unfortunately for him, he woke up in Morgana's hovel.Season 4x06 AU.
Relationships: Merlin/Morgana (Merlin)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	The shrunken predicament

**Author's Note:**

> This is not edited. If someone wishes to help me with editing and proof-reading that will be quite life-saving. All mistakes are mine.

At first, nothing seemed wrong. 

Merlin put the empty veil back inside the pocket of his red cloak and waited for the potion’s effects to kick in. 

Slowly, it started.

The familiar feeling of his skin contracting drew his attention down to his hands.

Before his eyes, the wrinkles slowly faded, and the aging spots that covered them lightened until they were no more. Merlin started to unbutton the cloak.

Suddenly, the world around him tilted and his legs swayed. He tried to reach for the nearest tree to regain his balance but it was too far away. His fists grabbed nothing but thin air. He felt himself quickly moving towards the ground and he shut his eyes close as if in doing so it would prevent the impact.

He didn’t fall. 

Merlin gingerly opened his eyes. He was standing on his feet. The world around him was still once more. Yet, something didn’t feel quite alright.

_ Did the potion make him lightheaded?  _

Strange, that was a first.

Heaving a sigh, Merlin shook his head and decided to resume his unfinished task of removing Gaius’ borrowed cloak. He noticed instantly that the hem was strangely covering his entire hand so his fingers were deeply hidden inside. 

He made to lift the sleeves upwards when he realized what had happened. 

Instead of  reverting to his old self, he was now somehow young. So young that the clothes he was wearing were hanging  loosely on his small frame.

* * *

The soft sounds filtering through the thin walls of the hovel lured him out of his trance. There were people talking outside in a  hushed voice . Not many of them. A man and a woman, Merlin guessed.

He was curled onto his side. A wool sheet was thrown on top of him to keep the cold at bay. The fabric didn’t itch so he knew he was no longer naked. He had abandoned his oversize clothes after they proved to be much of a burden to drag along. 

He was proven right when he reached and touched his arms and legs and found soft clothes covering them. A sigh of relief passed through his lips. At least one problem is solved. He should now concentrate on the next.

Where was he?

The area across from him was dimply lit. He could barely make out the shapes of the wooden nightstand located by the wall along with tankards of different sizes. A tree branch had penetrated through the roof- no that wasn’t right. It didn’t look like a branch. Merlin squinted to see more clearly. It looked like the roots of a tree.

Something about it felt familiar. Like he’d already seen it before. 

Merlin rolled onto his back to get a better look at his surroundings.

Gentle lights spilled inside from the roof through tree branches or roots, at this point, Merlin wasn’t really certain. He lifted his hands up above his head and he came into contact with a soft linen object. He tried to pull at it but it was too heavy for his small hands. So, he ceased his efforts. 

The smell and the colours were all too familiar to him but he just couldn’t identify where he’d seen them before.

The noises from outside grew louder. Merlin strained his ears in an effort to distinguish what they were saying.

“I already told you Morgana, my men are not responsible for this.” The man argued, he sounded exasperated.

Morgana! 

He was in Morgana’s hovel?

How did that come to be?

He remembered how weak he’d felt after trying to summon kilgharrah. He assumed that only it could help but his attempt had drained his magic. It left him lightheaded whiles he struggled to move his limps. For this reason, he left his clothes behind. He waited and waited. But the creature never showed up. 

In the end, he forced himself to drag his legs and to keep on moving until he couldn’t do that anymore. He was too tired to walk and, in the  end, he collapsed on the ground. 

And now, he was here. Back to Morgana’s hovel.

“Do you expect me to trust their words?” Morgana scorned. 

“Then trust me when I tell you that it is a separate incident which my men have no hand in-”

“Well, I don’t, Agravaine .” Morgana snapped.

Agravaine was the one talking to Morgana! It meant that he was an ally of hers.

A traitor.

Morgana continued her rebuke, “Oder your men to search the woods where he was found.” Merlin assumed that she was talking about him, “Perhaps they can find any sign of his family. There has to be a reason for why he was abandoned in the forest on his own.”

Agravaine didn’t respond. Even if he did, his voice must have been so  low Merlin couldn’t hear it.

The voices subsided. 

Either they were gone or they stopped talking. 

Merlin needed to find a way out of there before they would be back inside.

He had to act quickly. He had to act now.

Much to his embracement, it was hard  to sit on his backside. It wasn’t an easy task to lift his upper body.  So, he had to improvise.

First, Merlin kicked the cover with his legs thankful that it was a single layer of a bedsheet on top of him. Then, he rolled over so he was laying on his stomach and used his hands and legs to push his body up. His arse hanged in the air for few moments before it landed down on the matters. 

Success at last.

To his left, the door creaked open. Merlin looked at it. 

Agravaine had just walked inside. Their gaze locked instantly and their eyes widened. Merlin’s in fear, the other man’s in  surprise .

Arthur’s uncle glanced over his shoulders, “He’s awake.” He announced and pushed the door further open.

Merlin was at loss. He didn’t know what to do so he didn’t move. 

The old man scurried his way. And as he moved closer, the warlock’s fear only intensified. Merlin knew that it wasn’t justified. They didn’t know who he was but he appeared enormous compared to his own shrunken body.

His magic flared up inside of him and it acted on its own accord. It sent Agravaine flying backward before the man was close enough to touch him. Morgana had witnessed everything and she just stepped aside to prevent Agravaine’s body from hitting her. It smashed onto the wall with a loud thud before landing on the floor.

“Oh,” Morgana gasped, colours had drained from her face. 

Merlin saw the way she was staring at him. The burst of magic had caused a wave of emotion to sweep over her. Fear, pain, and sadness in her eyes. 

The injured man groaned in pain which seemed to pull her away from the thoughts churning inside her head. Her expression dissolved as her features softened. “We are not going to hurt you.” She paused for a moment to look at Agravaine, her eyes seemed to convey  **_ don’t come any closer _ ** _.  _ “I am not going to hurt you." She amended with a smile.

Merlin couldn’t trust what she was saying.

He had been a prisoner of hers a few days ago. Morgana had chained him, starved him, put a magical creature inside of him, and taken control over his mind so he could serve her.

Just because he looked like a small child at that moment, it didn’t erase the evil he’d seen she was capable of. Merlin tried to recoil but remembered too late that he was still sitting and ended up falling back on the matters. It wasn’t easy to get back to his previous position and he didn’t know what to do.

His emotions were all over the place and he knew it was because of his current state. Infants were easily disturbed, anything can make them cry; hunger, lack of sleep, sheer boredom, and in his case fear. Merlin was on the verge of bursting into tears.

He was helpless.

He curled under the bedsheet.

_ “You are safe here. The man can never hurt you. I will not let him.”  _ Her voice sounded inside his mind.

A woosh of air sent chills down his spine as Morgana gently reached down and picked him up with ease. The covers stayed on the bed leaving him exposed. Merlin didn’t want to fight her so he didn’t wriggle his hands and legs to get free. If he were to be honest with himself, he feared Morgana might drop him if he would do that.

He looked around him before his gaze landed on the floor and he realized how high up in the air he was. The fall from up there could kill him.

Things happened fast after that.

One moment he was looking down and the next he was wrapping his small arms around Morgana’s neck and his legs came around her middle, clutching her for dear life. Some parts of him were pressing against her chest and Merlin chose not to dwell on that. He would worry about that later on.

For now, he would worry about not falling and his identity not exposed.

Seriously, how did he  end up inside Morgana’s hovel?

Merlin rested his chin on her shoulder. Morgana had one hand under his bottom and the other one was on his shoulder blade. 

“He has magic? How is that possible?” Agravaine said, his voice thick with bewilderment. He struggled to get to his feet. “He’s too young to be taught magic.”

If only they knew how he’d grew up. Merlin thought.

“For some, magic isn’t something you choose,” She rubbed his back in slow motion for a little while before she set him back down on the bed. Merlin didn’t let go until he felt the matters dip with his weight. He let his arms fall by his sides and watched as Morgana crouched down by the edge of the bed so they were on the same eye level. Her words brought back a distant memory that made his heart clench with guilt. “It chooses y-” Her eyes met his and the words died in her mouth. 

Merlin held his breath. 

S he furrowed her brow in confusion. Morgana leaned forward, reducing the distance between their faces. Merlin could feel her breath on his skin.

He heard Agravaine ask, “You think he was born with it?”

Morgana remained silent as she watched him with confusion. With her lips apart, her eyes searched his face for something Merlin hoped she wouldn’t find.

“Morgana?” Agravaine called her name when she didn’t respond.

Merlin grasped at the opportunity to escape her gaze. 

_ Did she recognize him? _

“Is something the matter?” Agravaine asked again, worried.

“His eyes,” Morgana said, sounding breathless. “They look familiar.”

Merlin tensed. This wasn’t the first time that someone commented on his eyes when he was using a potion. First Gaius, then Arthur. He’d never expected it from Morgana, though.

“You’ve seen this child before?”

“No, never. It’s just-” Morgana shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “My encounter with Emrys, it seems, has affected me greatly, I fear.”

_ Has it? _

Merlin looked up at her and he saw how she struggled to straighten her thoughts.

“Are you alright?”

Morgana rolled her eyes at Agravaine’s obvious and unneeded concern for her safety. “I am fine. We have to find his parents.” 

The old man grunted and moved closer.

Merlin flinched grabbing the attention of Morgana. She was still bothered but it was clear she decided not to worry about that now. “This man is the one who found you and brought you here. He is not going to hurt you.”

Merlin looked between those two. One was worse than the other and he was trapped inside a fragile body with no escape plan. They could easily kill them if his identity was discovered. 

_ So, forgive me for not believing what you’re saying. _ Merlin thought to himself.

They thought he was a child and he would be one and hope they believe his act long enough for him to prepare a plan to get back to Camelot.

The problem was he had a small idea about his situation. He knew that he couldn’t speak full sentences. Worse, he was sure that he couldn’t pronounce entire words correctly yet.

He didn’t know how old he was. He knew he could walk, barely. His legs were wobbly. But at least, they managed to take him far enough to be found. He must have taken the path back to where he and Morgana had fought. 

“Do you have a name? Do you know what your name is?” Morgana asked him.

Unsure of how to respond, Merlin nodded.

Then he shook his head.

Both adults frowned at that.

“Do you know where your parents are?” The old man asked.

Once again, Merlin answered the same way.

“Perhaps he doesn’t speak our language. Maybe he doesn’t understand what we are saying.” Agravaine wondered aloud.

“Unlikely,” Morgana dismissed his suggestion and got to her feet. Her gaze stayed on Merlin for a moment before it flickered back in Agravaine’s direction. “You must return to Camelot for now. Arthur already has doubts about you.” 

Merlin sighed in relief. At least, they gave up on getting any clear answers from him.

“What about the physician and the plan for him to lead us to Emrys?” 

Merlin forced his face to remain neutral when he heard that. It took all his composure to hide his worry.

Morgana pursed her lips, “It will be delayed for now until we take care of him.”

Agravaine’s disapproval was evident, “I may not have much time before I am  discovered .”

“Then make sure you are not.” Morgana sat on the bed next to Merlin, “I already have to enlist the help of certain people and I must travel to them. I cannot do that with him here. Once the search for his family is over, we shall commence the plan.”

“What happens if we cannot find them?”

“I will take him to the druids. They will not deny him the help he will surely need.”

“Do you think he was abandoned because of his magic?”

“Agravaine,” Morgana hissed, angered by what he said, “Return to Camelot and hope Arthur doesn’t realize where your true loyalty lays”.

Merlin didn’t blame Agravaine for thinking like that and he wasn’t sure if he should be grateful for the way Morgana silenced him. 

Who would have thought that there were still some shreds of compassion in her?

* * *

They were left on their own after Agravaine’s departure.

Merlin wished he’d stayed a bit longer for him and Morgana to discuss more about their scheme to find Emrys. But since Merlin was already in there with her, he could discover more about it gradually.

He was just worried about what they might do to Gaius. He wished there was a way for him to warn his mentor about the upcoming danger.

“So,” Morgana said after a brief moment of silence. Her gaze drifted down and his up, “I know how scared you must be. But you shouldn’t be scared of me. I will not hurt you. Do you know why?”

Unwillingly, Merlin shook his head and at that, she smiled. It meant that he understood what she was saying.

“Because I am like you.” She held out her hand and her eyes glowed. From the nightstand, a tankard began to float in the air. It hovered for a few seconds before settling back in its place. 

Her eyes recovered their original colour, the smile on her lips never wavered, “Night is upon us and I need to prepare supper.” She got off the bed, “Are you hungry?”

Merlin decided it was time to speak. “ Yeth .” He almost groaned at the way his voice sounded. So petit.  So fragile.

He really should make sure his true identity remained hidden.

Morgana beamed, happy that he was starting to trust her. “Great. But I have to warn you, I  am not a very good cook.”

* * *

Morgana sat him on the floor while she began preparing the diner. Even though he’d already been in there before, it was like he was seeing the place for the first-time considering his shrunken size.

Merlin first followed Morgana before he decided to roam around and discover what he might have missed  earlier .

Morgana has a rounded table by the far end of the hovel. Right behind the shelf where she had kept the  Formorah . It was covered in thick layers of wax on top of which layers of dirt sat on it. 

Merlin approached it. The table reached his brow so it wasn’t clear what was on it. Merlin stood on his toes, using a chair nearby to keep him from losing his footing.

There were books there.

Perhaps one of them could have a solution to his problem.

Since he couldn’t make potions, maybe one of them contained a spell that could age him. He outstretched his hand and one of the books hovered in the air. Before Merlin had the chance to bring the book to him, Morgana appeared next to him snatching it.

“Your control of your magic is rather fascinating,” She flipped through the book, “but I doubt you can read this. How about we wait until after diner?” 

Morgana shut it close and put it back.

Merlin pouted and ran past her to the small dining table.

That was the only way he could show displeasure at her interruption.

* * *

Morgana was right, Merlin concluded. She wasn’t a very good cook. But he’d tasted far worse than that and Gaius was the one to prepare it. Morgana had checked the temperature of the soup before she started feeding him with a small spoon. 

It was amazing experiencing Morgana like this. This side of her that Merlin was witnessing, he thought it had died the day he poisoned her. She was patient with him as she waited for him to swallow after each sup. 

He ate for a while before he felt full. 

“No more?” Morgana asked when he clasped a hand over his mouth to  indicate his fullness . 

Merlin nodded his head and watched as she began to eat her diner. 

"I hope this doesn’t make you ill,” said Morgana. She went quiet after that. Pain washed over her features. Then she added, “First time I made this-” A small laugh passed through her lips. It was as if she was reliving a funny memory, “-it upset  Morgause’s stomach.” She drew in a breath, “Of course, I didn’t eat it after I saw what it’d done to her weak body. It was horrible. However, I believe my culinary skills have improved significantly since that night.” 

His eyes widened at the mention of her sister. He didn’t expect that. She glanced down at him and she must have mistaken the look on his face for one of confusion because she clarified, “I had a sister. Her name was Morgause. She was the one who taught me about magic. Spells and potions. Opened my eyes to the true evils of this world. She saved my life.” Her voice cracked and his heart ached. “She wasn’t feeling well lately and it was bearable with her here at first. This life. But she’s gone now. She’s-” Morgana paused and must have realized that he was far too young to understand what she was about to say “-went somewhere far away. This-” She gestured to her surrounding, “-suffocates me and it’s far worse than the poison Merlin had me drink.” She added the last part in a hushed tone but Merlin heard it loud and clear.

* * *

Merlin didn’t think he’d be able to sleep that night. After what had happened, after what he’d seen and after what’s heard.

The plan was to wait for Morgana to sleep, check the various books she had, and hope one of them could help.

His body however thought otherwise as it seems to fall asleep moments after Morgana had moved him back on her bed. One moment he was watching her move around her hovel, clearing the dinner table, and the next he woke up to her shivering and mumbling in her sleep. He sat up.

Her face crumpled with fear, sweat glistering down her brow.

_ Was she having a nightmare? _

Merlin wondered if he should wake her up. He reached out to touch her.

“Emrys!” She jolted awake all of a sudden, wide-eyed and terrified.

Merlin retracted his hand and stared as her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. She had a wild look on her face. Her gaze wandering frantically around the room as if searching for something. She looked right through him without even registering his presence. It took some time for her to calm herself and all the while Merlin remained quiet. His mind was too busy pondering why she was dreaming about him and why it had affected her this much.

He remembered that Gwen had been the one to stay with her after a nightmare. Morgana had confessed that to him once. Perhaps  Morgause had taken Gwen’s place in the past few months. However, now, she had no one to comfort her. 

Morgana finally noticed him, “Did I scare you?”

His eyes roamed over her face. “No.”

She quirked an eyebrow disbelievingly and twisted her upper body to face him fully. “Really?”

Despite himself, Merlin smiled and held his index and thumb fingers with few inches apart. 

At that, Morgana laughed, “Just a bit then,” She ran her hand through his curls. Merlin tensed at first but his eyes quickly fluttered shut enjoying the feeling of her fingers buried in his hair. She repeated the motion a few times before she let her hand fall back in her lap. “It’s really unsettling how much you remind me of Merlin.” 

Her comment was so sudden that Merlin barely managed to stop his magic from manifesting. 

Could she really see the resemblance this easily?

She covered her face with her hands “I’m having visions about my death, Emrys is ruining my plans and I-” She grunted in frustration, “Why am I thinking about Merlin right now? I need to sleep.  So do you.”

She laid him down on his back, fixed the covers, and laid next to him. He curled on his side, facing away from her.

Merlin was at a loss, too shocked to form a coherent thought.

How was he supposed to handle all that she had just shared with him?

Visions about her death? Did she see Emrys in her visions as well?

That couldn’t be right. But then again, she had said something earlier to him in the woods during their confrontation.

_ So, Emrys, it seems you'll not be my doom after all.  _

His eyes widened, his breath quickening. Was that what she had been dreaming about moments ago? Him killing her?

She almost died twice because of him already.

He had no choice when he poisoned her.

The second time had been an accident.

There was no way, he’d hurt her a third time. He would never.

Merlin refused to believe that. He wouldn’t do that? Not another time.

Right?

* * *

This was torture.

Merlin didn’t know if he could bear it any longer.

It had to stop. 

And it had to stop now.

He was propped against the headboard. Morgana had decided all on her own, it wasn’t like he had a saying anyways, that they’d be having breakfast on her bed. A tray of food was laying in the middle of it. Morgana was sitting facing him with her legs crossed and she was still wearing her nightclothes. A thin, almost see-through garment. That was all she had on her.

He tried. He really did try not to ogle her but she was sitting right in front of him and her shift didn’t leave anything for imagination. He might be stuck inside the frame of a small child. However, deep, deep in there, he was still a man and she was a woman that once had stolen his breath away with her beauty.

So, he stared shamelessly at her chest, glad that though he could appreciate the sight visually, it didn’t affect his body.

Although, he was certain the memory of this would haunt him when reverted back to his body. 

He was nibbling a piece of bread she’d given him when Morgana leaned over to reach for something on the tray, Merlin didn’t pay much attention to that. Instead, his eyes widened as she,  inadvertently, offered him a clear look of what was under her nightgown. As if he actually needed it.

He wasn’t really complaining. It wasn’t like he could tell her to cover up.

Well, he could but that would ultimately lead to his death.

Anyways, he was preoccupied marveling at the shape of her breasts and he didn’t see the amused look she sent his way when she took notice of his stare. “You must really miss your mother,” she remarked with a quirked eyebrow. 

Much to his astonishment, Morgana grabbed her breasts with both hands and squeezed. “These will not produce milk no matter how hard you suck on them.” 

It was meant as an offhand comment to a child who certainly would not understand what she was saying. However, it was not the case and the image Morgana has painted in Merlin’s mind with her ill-chosen words left him gasping for air when a crumb of bread fell into his airway pipe and a coughing fit tore through his small body.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Morgana whispered as she drew him in and sat him on her lap. She rubbed his back smoothly, and that gentle massaging effect helped. What didn’t help was the fact that now he was far  closer to Morgana.

Enough was enough. Merlin couldn’t take it any longer.

He located her dress. Using his magic, he brought to it her. Morgana grabbed it from where it hovered in the air. “Extraordinary.” She murmured as she set aside.

Frustrated, Merlin lifted the dress up again, this time he let it fall on top of Morgana’s  head.

_ Please just wear it already!  _ He thought and unfortunately Morgana still refused to put the damn thing on.

Frankly, Merlin didn’t want to waste his time on this. He had to find a way back and he shouldn’t concern himself with this, not when Morgana was planning against Gaius and certainly not when Agravaine was free to roam Camelot and his betrayal remained unknown to Arthur.

He had to go back to Camelot.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> This should be a two-part fic. My sister pointed out that for S4 and S5, Morgana always slept in her "everyday" dress. For this story, I decided to ignore that.


End file.
